Two days after Anonymous and other hacker groups announced their intention to destroy the Westboro Baptist Church over the group's plan to picket the funerals of victims of the Sandy Hook massacre, firefighters and police in New England worked together to shield the funerals from the WBC. Emergency personnel from the region came together to support "Stand the Wall" in an effort to block the potential protesters from reaching the funerals.

If not for it, women and black people would never have come this close to equality.

Russell Brand had those nuts on his show. When the audience boo'd them, Russell said, "If you can't tolerate intolerance, than you're not really tolerant, are you?"

Blame the media. If it wasn't for them, these dumbasses would never have received so much attention, or had been galvanized to take their hate speech to such an extreme.

I'm going to have to disagree.

The First Amendment protects you from the persecution of the government, yet it does not protect you from public backlash or as I like to put it: Freedom of Speech is not Freedom from Consequence. People should not tolerate intolerance, if they did than all the known movements that have been fought throughout this country to earn woman and minorities rights would not have been fought. They would have been tolerating their mistreatment of the intolerant people who denied them their rights. Disapproving of intolerant behavior is in fact being progressive and these people have every right to be not only offended, but to counter such abhorrent displays of bigotry.

If not for it, women and black people would never have come this close to equality.

Russell Brand had those nuts on his show. When the audience boo'd them, Russell said, "If you can't tolerate intolerance, than you're not really tolerant, are you?"

Blame the media. If it wasn't for them, these dumbasses would never have received so much attention, or had been galvanized to take their hate speech to such an extreme.

I'm going to have to disagree.

The First Amendment protects you from the persecution of the government, yet it does not protect you from public backlash or as I like to put it: Freedom of Speech is not Freedom from Consequence. People should not tolerate intolerance, if they did than all the known movements that have been fought throughout this country to earn woman and minorities rights would not have been fought. They would have been tolerating their mistreatment of the intolerant people who denied them their rights. Disapproving of intolerant behavior is in fact being progressive and these people have every right to be not only offended, but to counter such abhorrent displays of bigotry.

Are you kidding me? You think you can stop them with public backlash? Are you NOT familiar with this situation?

I'm going to have to disagree with your disagreement.

People who don't tolerate intolerance aren't tolerant. You've dug yourself into being intolerant. Now you're one of them.

You think the majority has the right to regulate what the minority are allowed to say? If that was the case, only Christians would have the right to speak about religion. I'm sorry but nobody, but you, apparently, wants the US this way.

Yeah, they're retarded, but so are people who like The Jersey Shore. (In my opinion, because that's just what they're spouting, opinions)
That doesn't mean I should take away people's right to watch The Jersey Shore because I think it's the worst thing to happen to the US in the last 30 years, other than Jr. Bush.

While it's true that their speech is legally protected in general (within certain bounds - some cities have ruled that they must remain a certain distance away from the funerals they are protesting) it is still reprehensible, especially to the families of the deceased. While I am not advocating taking away their right to make themselves look like assholes, I do not also have to waive my right to call them out for doing so.

One can tolerate their right to speak, while at the same time being equally vocal in opposition of that speech. By the same token, one can be intolerant of their hate speech, without going to the extent of infringing on or revoking that right. It won't stop them, and it won't deter them, but it sure as hell gives me some faith in humanity that there are people who will stand against them in peaceful protests.

I also don't want to go the route of the UK, which banned them from travel there. Their laws classify the WBC's message as hate speech, which is illegal there, and unless I'm mistaken, they are still banned from traveling to or through the UK. (If this information is outdated or in error, I'll stand corrected.)

While it's true that their speech is legally protected in general (within certain bounds - some cities have ruled that they must remain a certain distance away from the funerals they are protesting) it is still reprehensible, especially to the families of the deceased. While I am not advocating taking away their right to make themselves look like assholes, I do not also have to waive my right to call them out for doing so.

One can tolerate their right to speak, while at the same time being equally vocal in opposition of that speech. By the same token, one can be intolerant of their hate speech, without going to the extent of infringing on or revoking that right. It won't stop them, and it won't deter them, but it sure as hell gives me some faith in humanity that there are people who will stand against them in peaceful protests.

I also don't want to go the route of the UK, which banned them from travel there. Their laws classify the WBC's message as hate speech, which is illegal there, and unless I'm mistaken, they are still banned from traveling to or through the UK. (If this information is outdated or in error, I'll stand corrected.)

Exactly.

If someone really wants to do something, instead of just ranting about it, they could always stand next to them spamming an air horn with ridiculous signs of their own.

I dont think the Westboro Baptist Church should even think about going to this. I mean think about it, how would you feel if ppl came your family's funerals and started saying all the bad and hateful things about your loved one and your family? imo its sick and messed up.

These WBC people have every right to say terrible hateful things where they want to IMO, but at the same time there are plenty of people who are allowed to make walls, and in tern protest the WBC and say all the mean hateful things to those assholes they want, I hate the WBC but support their right to protest, this is gonna make me sounds kinda sick, but I wanna bend that crazy lady over a bedpost and get her to chill the fuck out

I dont think the Westboro Baptist Church should even think about going to this. I mean think about it, how would you feel if ppl came your family's funerals and started saying all the bad and hateful things about your loved one and your family? imo its sick and messed up.

If it were a funeral for a member of the WBC, I have no doubt that they would welcome the attention in that case, too. Sick as that sounds, they'd probably use it as a publicity stunt to whine about how people are trying to interfere with their time of mourning.